You realise. So chapter 28, verse 16.
And of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.
All right. Good morning, church. How are you all doing?
Good.
And hello to those part of our church who's also on holidays and watching YouTube.
Very welcome.
My name is Kelvin. For those that we haven't met, I'm Cindy's husband.
And Cindy's over there in the back.
And we are one of the helpers here at Grace Church.
Yeah, would you please bow with me as we come to God's Word?
Yeah, let's pray.
Yeah, Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that every year we get to have this special season to think about your Son.
Not that it should be done once a year, but it should be done every day.
But you really allow this to be something that we can just refocus.
Look at his birth.
And today, as we come to your Word and looking at how he has overcome death and has come to life,
the hope that brings and the purpose that brings for your world.
Lord, help us have open hearts and minds and hands and feet and just the whole of us that we can be open to you.
Please give your people the years to hear your Word and not mine.
And if there are anything, Lord, that are not pleasing that I speak, please forgive and please protect.
And all these things we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Yeah, so...
Yeah, I want to start with this little analogy, and that is whales.
Just as whales are made to live underwater, we are made to live under God, right?
We need whales to survive.
I mean, we need water to survive.
So when Adam and Eve went autonomous, which literally means self-rule, we as a race basically became beached whales.
We separated ourselves from our source of life and took the entire creation that God has put under us with it.
Although we might be loving it on the beach for a while, and I noticed last week many of us did,
soon we find ourselves struggling for breath, and eventually we all die, both physically and spiritually,
unless there is a plan of rescue.
The entire Old Testament shouts that God has a rescue plan.
Time after time, God promised Israel that he will send his anointed king, a Messiah,
a descendant from the line of David, to restore everything that is broken, including you and me.
And his plan is not just for Israel, but for all humanity.
The good news Matthew reported in this book called the Gospel of Matthew is that the promised king is here,
and his name is Jesus, which literally means Yahweh saves.
Israel should be the first to repent, followed by the rest of humanity,
because the kingdom of heaven is here.
But no matter how amazing and awesome this king's Jesus, his teaching and his miracles were,
Israel's leaders just wouldn't budge.
They took the good news as fake news,
and rejected Jesus as God's anointed king,
and he even killed him on the cross.
So imagine, you're one of the remaining 11 disciples.
You've been following Jesus for three whole years.
Your rabbi and friend has died,
but now he really came back to life.
You've seen him, you've touched him, you've eaten with him.
Incredible.
What question would you ask him if you were one of those disciples?
Here's the question the disciples, his disciples asked Jesus,
and we can see that in Acts 1.
What's happening with that kingdom God has promised Israel?
What's happening with that kingdom?
In other words, what is next, Lord?
Today, through Matthew 28, we will look at what's next with God's kingdom under three headings.
Authority, assignment, and assurance.
These are in your bulletin.
Let's hear them together, because we, the church, God's kingdom people,
can only make sense when we know who is in charge,
what Christ came for, and once done, and how.
Are we ready?
Yes?
All right.
Let's begin.
First, authority.
In Australia, people might debate who is the greatest cricketer there ever existed.
Right?
I don't know if you're Shane or Steve or whatever, you know.
I've got a book on some of them.
I've never read it yet.
Among the Jews, the supremacy of Moses' authority
was really not a subject of debate.
He was not only the lawgiver, but he was also the supreme judge.
His power, his authority, actually lasted for generations, even after he died.
So when God was preparing this guy Joshua to succeed Moses,
this actually became a bit of a problem.
In Numbers 27, and we printed that little snippet in your bulletin as well,
God had to tell Moses to do an in-person handover commissioning ceremony
in front of the entire nation of over a million people.
So imagine the MCG, right?
Filled with people.
I don't know how many of that.
Like all that people needs to come together and look at and see this ceremony.
Why?
Because God knew that unless he made it really very public,
this commissioning,
Israel would not obey Joshua when Moses was gone.
And part of the text is printed in the bulletin, so please check it out.
Fast forward to Jesus' time,
God actually gave some of the Jesus' disciples a preview
that Israel must start listening and submitting to Jesus, not Moses.
Do you remember that transfiguration story that we saw in Matthew 17?
They were on a high mountain.
Jesus was glowing like the sun in front of Peter, James, and John.
And then Moses and Elijah also appeared chatting with Jesus.
And of course, Peter was making a fool of himself.
And then God spoke through a bright shining cloud.
And what did God say?
This is my beloved son,
with whom I'm well pleased.
Listen to him.
Who need to listen to Jesus here?
Surely, Peter, James, and John, right?
But wasn't Moses and Elijah also up on that mountain at that time?
Jesus is the one Israel must obey,
past, present, and future.
When Jesus summoned the eleven disciples up on the mountain
and said to them in Matthew 28,
all authorities on heaven and on earth has been given to me,
this is not like Jesus had some missing authority
and just picked up a new badge and said,
here you go, this is my new one.
Jesus was telling the eleven disciples
that they need to put some new glasses on, like I have,
and be able to see who is actually in charge all along.
Not Moses, for Jesus is the ultimate prophet.
Not Caiaphas, for Jesus is the ultimate high priest.
And definitely not Caesar or Herod,
because Jesus is the ultimate king.
As Christ's disciple, have we put on these new glasses on?
Does the way we spend our time, energy, and worries
reflect that Jesus is truly in charge?
Or are we letting our screens and our own desires take that place?
Another thing the eleven needed to learn
is that the kingdom of heaven is not exclusive to Israel.
In Matthew 10, Jesus did tell his disciples,
do not go to the Gentiles and Samaritans,
but go only to the Lord's sheep of Israel
to announce the kingdom of heaven.
Why?
Because God had different plans for different parts of Jesus' mission,
before and after his death and resurrection.
Do this before the cross and do this after the cross.
Plan was different.
Jesus was nailed as the king of the Jews,
but he rose as the king of heaven and earth.
From the highest to the lowest,
to the greatest to the nearest,
to the tiniest,
the nearest to the furthest,
from invisible to visible,
all things in the universe answers to Jesus.
Include those ones, those weird ones,
who do not like doughnuts.
That's me, by the way.
All authorities on heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus.
There is no exception.
That is the new perspective the 11 disciples needed.
But what's Jesus doing with all this massive power?
He says,
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
With the greatest power ever that anyone had ever in the whole universe,
Jesus sends out his disciples,
not to start a global war,
but to all the people groups of all the world
to call them into his kingdom.
No one is excluded,
for God so loved the world of which all peoples are part of,
that he gave his only son.
Christ's disciples are not called to form an exclusive local club
with people who are just like them by their own initiatives.
They are commanded to make disciples of people regardless of their backgrounds,
wherever they are at.
That is how our risen king wants disciples to exercise his universal authority.
What a job it is.
Once upon a time,
there were three guys
who was on a game show interview,
and the first guy was asked,
Who do you work for?
And this guy dressed in this fancy black suit says,
I work for Elon Musk,
the richest man in the world.
And then he turned to the second guy
and says,
Hey, what do you do for a living?
And he says,
Oh, I work for Taylor Swift,
the most popular musician there is
over paper probably in all times.
And then the host turned to the third guy.
He says,
How about you, mate?
The guy stood tall and answered,
I'm a Christian.
I work for Jesus,
the most powerful person in the entire universe.
Jesus' disciples are divine, royal ambassadors,
representative servants of the highest king of heaven and earth,
not mere volunteers.
Their mission is to make disciples for the king.
And what is making disciples?
That brings us to our second point,
the assignment.
In God's kingdom context,
discipleship is not a course you finish,
it is a life you enter.
Verse 19 says this,
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Very familiar words, right?
For almost 40 years,
I've always thought,
when you baptize someone,
you have to call on the name of the Father,
the Son,
and the Spirit,
because that's what this verse says.
I was baptized that way,
and I've baptized people for years that way.
But having searched through the Bible recently,
I discovered that no one in the New Testament
actually used that wording
when they're baptizing people.
I'm not saying,
don't get me wrong,
I'm not saying this Trinitarian wording
so many churches have been using
for God knows how many years is wrong.
But if you look at Acts chapter 2,
8,
10,
and 19,
where people were all baptized,
they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,
without mentioning the Father or the Holy Spirit.
When I saw this,
I was really struggling.
I had to go back to check again and again.
I did it over a month,
just to make sure I'm not seeing things wrongly.
And even more interestingly,
we go deeper into Acts 19,
and please take a look in your spare time.
In 19, Romans 6,
and Galatians 3,
they all say believers are baptized into Christ.
Not in Christ,
into Christ,
or into the name of Christ.
Which gives us kind of like a sense of a movement thing.
And when I looked at the Greek,
I don't really like Greek,
but I have to look at it.
That's what Jesus is saying here in Matthew 20, 18.
Baptizing them into the name of the Father,
and so on.
And some of you,
if you have an ESV Bible or other version,
it actually has a footnote saying,
you know,
all into kind of thing.
So what does that mean,
into the name of the Father?
To baptize someone,
and many of us already know,
what is it?
It is to wash,
or to dip,
or to dunk,
or to plunge,
you know,
something into liquid.
You know,
hopefully it's clean water, right?
But into the name,
what's the technical phrase?
Like used in legal documents,
like John would love.
You know,
that signifies a transfer of ownership,
of allegiance,
or identity.
Like if I sold my car,
and I don't want to sell my car yet,
I need to go to Services New South Wales
and do what?
I need to transfer my car's name
into the name of the new owner.
So when Jesus told his disciples
to baptize people
into the name of the Father,
of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit,
what's happening?
He's referring to lives
being transferred,
being plunged
into God's new ownership.
Not so much about the ritual,
or the ceremony,
which other verses actually
talks about in the Bible.
Romans 6 says that
we are baptized
into Christ's death,
and resurrection,
with the new purpose
of living a new life.
Matthew 28 says,
discipleship is a complete transfer
of identity,
ownership,
and new relationship.
These are overlapping
biblical truths.
They don't conflict,
but with different emphasis.
Or emphasis?
Emphasis.
But why Father,
Son,
and Spirit?
Why didn't Jesus just say God?
Well,
some of our brothers
sitting up the back there
actually reminded me last week,
salvation is indeed
from the Father,
through the Son,
by the Holy Spirit.
One God,
three persons.
Being co-equal,
they coexist
in self-giving love
centered on,
not themselves,
but the other person
in the Trinity.
Some Christian authors
have described the Trinity
as like a three-people dance.
No one ever claims
the center.
They're just dancing
around each other.
Is it like a bush dance
kind of thing?
Yeah,
a little bit like that.
The Father and Son
and Holy Spirit
would never say,
I'm here,
you go around me.
No.
So,
this is basically
what the disciples'
new life is,
centered on God
and others,
which is pretty much
the opposite
of autonomy,
separation,
and death.
being baptized
into our new identity
and life with God
then is being transferred
into God's
own divine community,
the Trinity,
Father,
Son,
and Spirit.
1 John 1 says
that the apostles
were the first
to enter
into this divine community
or dance
or fellowship.
Then,
the church
follows them
into this same
community.
being immersed
into community
with our real
source of life
is the essence
of Christian discipleship
and kingdom citizenship.
With the new identity
comes a new way
of living.
So,
how?
Our Savior King
says this in verse 20,
teaching them
to observe
all that I have
commanded you.
Although disciples
are 100% God-made,
who are plunged
into their new kingdom
identity,
sorry,
although disciples
are 100% God-made,
all who are plunged
into their new kingdom
identity
need to be taught.
To our westernized minds,
it sounds like
endless lectures,
sermons,
and Bible studies.
All that I have commanded you,
that's what Jesus said,
also sounds like
mission impossible,
doesn't it?
Who on earth
can remember
all that Jesus
has ever commanded?
If we teach
or learn
Christ's commands
by just listening
and reading,
some studies
have shown,
and all you teachers
out there
can correct me,
that our retention rate
is about 5% to 10%.
Just sitting there
listening,
that's 5%.
So,
by the end of today's sermon,
that's what you're going to get,
5%.
Not so great.
But,
if you're part of a small group
and engage in a group discussion,
what happens?
Retention rate would go up
to how much?
What's it, Alex?
6%.
Oh, dear.
Mate,
you're killing me here.
Well,
the study that I looked at
by the NTL.org,
no,
says it actually can go up
to 30% to 50%.
It's a lot better,
isn't it?
5%,
you know,
30%,
you know.
But still not great,
right?
Who wants a 50% ATAR
if you're doing your HSC,
right?
But,
if we do what Jesus did
with his disciples,
okay,
so,
besides teaching them,
a lot of teaching,
you know,
there are five big chunks
of teaching in Matthew,
he also taught through
practical training,
sending them out,
and then maybe,
you know,
coaching them afterwards.
Studies have shown
that retention rates
can go up
to how much, Alex?
That's good,
right?
He gave up.
Yeah,
80% or 90%.
But,
if you actually go do it,
you know,
try it out,
do it,
it goes up a lot.
You know,
that's how you,
oh,
this past is amazing,
you know,
how can they remember so much?
Because they actually do it,
I mean,
you know,
and not just pastors.
Many,
many godly Christians,
like,
you know what John Patterson says,
good Protestants out there,
you know.
It's,
you know,
it's great.
It can't go up.
So,
in Jesus' culture,
once a disciple
is accepted by the rabbi,
he would follow the rabbi
everywhere,
often without asking
the rabbi
where he's going.
You can see that
in Matthew 8,
19.
The disciple,
the usual disciple,
is the deepest desire,
is actually just to follow
the rabbi
so closely
that he would become
like the teacher,
like a mini-me,
you know,
following around.
And Jesus says this
in Luke 6,
40 as well.
Jesus says,
a disciple
is not above his teacher,
that's the rabbi
or master
he's referring to,
but everyone
fully trained
will be like
his teacher.
So,
a disciple
would rarely
leave his rabbi's side
because they don't
want to miss out
copying his teacher.
They follow him
everywhere
and they copy
everything they do,
the way they drink tea
and whatnot,
you know,
that's what they do.
And that's why
when Jesus
walked on water,
what did people do?
Peter do?
You know,
he had a bit of a FOMO,
you know,
like a fear of missing out moment,
you know,
so he tried copying Jesus,
you know,
oh,
you walk,
I walk,
you jump,
I jump,
you know,
that's what the disciple do.
Not because he was an idiot,
you know,
but that isn't just
the way,
you know,
the way of the old days,
you know,
nobody does that anymore,
you know,
it's an Israel thing,
you know,
it's like 2000 years ago,
how can we do it?
Life's busy here.
To become a qualified electrician
in New South Wales,
and we've got
a couple of them here,
where's Brendan?
I'm sweating.
Yeah.
In New South Wales,
to become a licensed electrician,
the current requirement says
you need to complete
an apprenticeship,
is that right?
Yeah.
Okay,
good.
It typically requires
about four years of training,
yeah,
roughly,
yeah,
and approximately 8,000 hours
of not lectures,
but supervised on the job
practical experience
alongside formal classroom trainings.
That's today in New South Wales.
Why so many hours
of practical training?
Well,
because this way,
hopefully,
we have more electricians
that can remember
and actually do,
you know,
what the law of physics
actually says,
and,
you know,
we have less dead electricians,
I guess.
The same way it goes
with Christian discipleship,
formation on top of information,
on-the-job training
and off-the-job training
are equally important.
Listening to God,
the gospel-centered preaching,
reading books
and study Bibles together
are all very,
very,
very good things.
We must do them
and continue to do them
with vigilance.
But the more we live out
Christ's commands together,
repenting,
forgiving,
seeking the fathers
in prayer together,
loving enemies together,
giving to the marginalized together,
calling the unreached
and sending out
the equipped together,
the more we become
like Christ.
Students,
disciples,
becoming our ultimate
rabbi,
Jesus.
Discipleship is not
a course we finish,
it is a life we enter.
So in Matthew 28,
our king has given
his authority,
has given us
his assignment,
but what can we,
but can we really do it?
That's where
our king's assurance,
our third
and final point
comes in.
In God's kingdom,
the king's assurance
is both mission
and also comfort.
Jesus says,
and behold,
I am with you always
to the end
of the age.
That's in verse 20.
This is not
a rugby coach
giving his team
a pep talk
before a big game.
Go get them,
boys,
you got this.
This is not
what it is.
This is our king
declaring to his
first kingdom people,
look,
I'm here,
I got your back.
Christ has
all the authority,
wants people
of all backgrounds
discipled,
and has given
orders to get them
trained
to live according
to all his commands.
None of this
universal kingdom
mission depends
on our strength
or stamina.
Christ is the one
who works
through his people,
and it says here,
always,
which is translated
from the Greek,
all the days.
all day,
every day.
There was an ad
called Hayong Day,
actually.
Always.
Jesus never calls
in sick.
He doesn't even
pretend to work
from home.
Though our king
has surely
ascended physically,
his spirit
remains present
in us,
in the church,
individually,
collectively,
and we
are his kingdom
people.
The king
is really here.
When Jesus says,
I'm with you always,
he means
every ordinary,
messy,
fearful,
painful,
but also
hopeful day.
This matters
because human effort
alone
can only produce
hype,
not fruit.
When the right skills,
with the right skills
and the right charisma,
you can easily
fill a stadium
with cheers,
with tears,
with applause,
and even sinners'
prayers.
But unless Jesus
is present,
doing all the inner work,
the seed
can just
not grow.
when Jesus
said to his disciples
in John 15,
apart from me,
you can do nothing,
it was not a threat,
that is the gospel's
realism.
Discipleship
is not an
eight-week course.
It is the spirit
of Jesus
forming kingdom
people
through his
kingdom people,
turning taught
truths
into transformed
hearts.
And don't miss
the death
of this promise.
When Jesus
says,
I am with you,
the words
is basically
Emmanuel,
God with us.
Matthew
begins
and ends
his good news
with that
awesome name.
Sin
had driven
God and humanity
apart.
Adam was
kicked out
of the garden,
the pillar of fire
in the wilderness
with Israel.
It was,
yes,
bright and warm
at night,
but it tells
Israel to keep
a distance.
Mount Sinai,
the big one,
became a kill
switch,
touch it
and you die.
The tabernacle
and the temple
invites Israel
to worship,
but massive
thick curtain
says keep up,
keep out,
holiness is inside.
Without Jesus,
there can be
no Emmanuel.
Because of
Jesus,
God is with us.
God says,
keep out.
With Jesus,
God says,
come in.
So the king's
assurance is both
commission
and also comfort.
Commission
because his mission
is not primarily
about our strength.
It's about
Christ's presence
working through us.
Comfort
because he draws
us in
and near
and we are
never sent
out alone.
Matthew 28,
17 says
that the
11 disciples
were doubting.
If you look at the verse,
it says
they were doubting.
What were they
doubting about?
They've seen the
recent Lord already.
Thomas has also
seen him
in the room.
So what are they
doubting?
Well,
the word also
translates to
hesitating.
They hesitated
in bowing down
to worship Jesus.
But our king
did not hesitate
to assign them
to his kingdom's
mission.
Jesus
is not
looking for
perfect Christians
to be rock stars
in his kingdom.
He's calling
for the weak,
the unworthy,
the broken
jars of
unclean clay
through which
his presence
and power
are revealed.
Authority,
assurance,
and assurance,
all these things
hold together.
Our king
rules,
our king
reigns,
our king
works
in and
through us.
Isn't he
wonderful?
Yes,
he's
wonderful.
Is there
anything
on earth
that is
more
purposeful?
Why are
we doom
scrolling?
Why are
we watching
Netflix?
It's okay,
actually.
Do a little
bit of
relaxation.
But it
kills a lot
of time
and a lot
of life.
How much
life have
you got?
I don't
know.
I often
say to my
wife,
if I die
next week,
here's the
bank account.
Get your
access.
Someone says,
if you lay
your life
out,
the number
of days
left on
a spreadsheet,
that thing
called Excel
or Google
sheet,
whatever,
and all
the boxes,
there's actually
not that many
boxes left.
You can
actually see
it.
We are
very,
very
incredibly
privileged
to be
called
to become
a royal
ambassador
for him.
Very
privileged.
And so
this week,
I want us
to ask
ourselves
and also
ask God,
what small
step can
I take
to enjoy
more of
him and
his presence
first,
and then
be sent
to do
his kingdom
work right
here or
wherever he
wants us
to go?
The question
is not,
hey God,
I'm great
at this,
would you
send me?
No,
don't ask that
question.
It's like,
Lord,
my hands
and feet
and arms
and hearts
are open.
Would you
please send
me?
Just
whatever you
want us
to do,
give me the
spirit,
give me the
skill,
I've got
your word,
I've got
everything I
need.
Let's
pray.
O
King
Jesus,
may your
authority
reorder
our
loyalties,
your
assignment
shapes
our
priorities,
and your
assurance
gives us
comfort and
courage to
serve you
and obey
you every
single day
and every
single moment.
Amen.
Yeah.